Bard
Bards are cunning musicians who use magical sound to adventure. They are known for their wandering nature where they amass a great amount of knowledge and clever tricks to help them succeed. Their signature ability, bardic music allows them to alter their musical sounds to impart magical abilities upon their foes or allies. Changes When we looked at the bard class, we saw something very iconic to Dungeons and Dragons, something that was typified in the game's history. We recalled looking back at the 1st edition sourcebooks, when the bard was a crazed amalgamation of druids and thieves and wizards, meant for high level adventurers. We knew that the bard had to be unique, something unreproducible by other classes. As it stood, it was not such a thing. We saw the existing bard as a sorcerer with less spells and the handy ability to give the party a +1 to hit and damage. It was nothing more than a sorcerer with maximum ranks in Diplomacy and a prayer spell. We thought it was a bit underpowered, and we thought that there were too many dead levels (though the spells made up for a lot of them). So, many changes were in order. *'Spells and Bardic Music' ♦ We removed spells from the class altogether (except for some cantrips). This was a drastic move but we knew it to be right in the long run. We decided to strip this ability and replace it with a souped up remix of their bardic music ability, the core mechanic of the class. We went through the bard's spell list and picked the few spells we thought typified the class and converted them into special bard versions through their music. One quick look at the class table and you'll see a lot more bardic music abilities. We tried to make these abilities a little stronger and give the bard some new ways of using them so that each bard could make an impact on an encounter. Much inspiration for some of the new abilities were inspired by the 4th edition's Warlord class, as well as the old Marshal that appeared in Wizards of the Coast's Miniatures Handbook. This represents the biggest fundamental change to the class, and most of what we did with it. *'Skills' ♦ One of the smaller changes we made was to make sure that the bard maintained his edge, or even improved it, when it came to being knowledge or having an uncanny knack for odd-skills. We enhanced the bardic knowledge ability to let it unabashedly take on the other Knowledge skills, and armed the bard with the Jack of all Trades ability to let him step in and help out whenever the party needed him, regardless of what skillful endeavour they took on (similar to the Pathfinder RPG ability). Class Features *'Cantrips (Sp):' A bard knows a small number of magical tricks that he has learned throughout his travels. At first level, he may select three cantrips which he can cast at will. These cantrips can be chosen from any cantrips found on the cleric, druid, sorcerer or wizard cantrip lists. A bard's caster level is equal to his bard level, and save DCs are equal to 10 + spell level + the bard's Charisma modifier. At every odd level after 1st (3rd, 5th, 7th), a bard may select one additional cantrip to add to his list of available cantrips. *'Bardic Knowledge (Ex):' Bards pick up a lot of different tales and information about various things throughout their travels. A bard can make a Bardic Knowledge check anytime a normal knowledge check would be helpful (arcana, dungeons, history, nature, or religion). This check is equal to the Bard's level + his Intelligence modifier. If he beats the DC by 5, the DM can treat it as though the Bard passed the knowledge check as normal. Bards may never take 10 or 20 on these checks, and no retrys are ever allowed. In addition, a Bard may make this check to instantly identify a magic item. He must be holding the item to make this check, and the DC is equal to 10 + the magic item's level. Artifacts cannot be identified in this way (though if normal Knowledge checks might reveal information, he may use Bardic Knowledge as normal). *'Bardic Music:' A bard can produce magical effects that affect those around him using the Perform skill. Any form of musical performance (vocal or instrumental) is a valid type of Perform skill that can be used with this ability, but might be accompanied with acting or dancing. There are a number of different effects Bardic Music can have that are attained at different levels and require a certain amount of skill ranks in Perform to use. Each Bardic Music ability is a standard action, and has its own duration. A bard can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his level + his Intelligence modifier. Similar to casting spells, a deaf bard suffers a 20% failure change each time he uses this ability (and such a failed attempt counts against his daily limit). Any effect that duplicates a spell uses the Bard's level as caster level and a Bard's Perform check as the save DC. **''Inspire Courage (Su):'' A bard with 4 or more ranks in Perform can use his music to bolster himself and his allies in combat. All allies that can hear the bard gain a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, weapon damage rolls (including weapon-like spells) and saving throws versus fear. This ability lasts a number of rounds equal to 3 + the bard's Charisma modifier. At 6th level, the bonus increases to +2. At 11th level, it is +3, and at 16th level, it is +4. This ability is a mind-affecting ability. **''Countersong (Su):'' A bard with 4 or more ranks in Perform can use his music to counter magical effects that depend on sound (but not spells that simply have verbal components). Using this ability requires a Perform check and affects up to one ally (including the bard himself) who can hear him. A target of this ability affected by an ongoing sonic or language-dependent effect can make an immediate saving throw against the effect using the Bard's Perform check instead of their own saving throw. Countersong has no effect against effects that don’t allow saves. At 6th level, this ability can affect up to two people. At 11th level, it can affect 3 people, and at 16th it can affect 4 people. **''Fascination (Su):'' A bard with 4 or more ranks in Perform can use his music to entrance its targets. Using this ability requires a Perform check and affects up to one creature who can see and hear the bard and is within 50 feet. A target of this ability must make a Will saving throw (DC = to Perform check) or become fascinated. This effect lasts a number of rounds equal to 3 + the bard's Charisma modifier or until ended as normal (see Conditions). At 6th level, this ability can affect up to two people. At 11th level, it can affect 3 people, and at 16th it can affect 4 people. This ability is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. **''Veiling Song (Sp):'' A bard with 5 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to create a magical illusory effect that might conceal him. The use of this ability requires a Perform check and affects the Bard. The bard is affected as though with the disguise self spell with a duration of 1 hour per bard level. At 7th level, a bard can use this song to instead duplicate a hallucinatory terrain spell. At 12th level, he can choose to instead duplicate seeming, and at 17th level, he can duplicate veil. **''Charming Song (Sp):'' A bard with 6 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to change the attitudes of others. The use of this ability requires a Perform check and affects one humanoid creature within 30 feet who can hear the bard. The subject of the ability must make a Will save (DC = Perform check) or be affected as with a charm person spell. At 8th level, a bard can use this ability to affect up to one creature per 3 levels. At 13th level, he can instead replicate charm monster. At 18th level, he can replicate mass charm monster. **''Inspire Competence (Su):'' A bard with 7 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to increase the abilities of his allies. The target must be within 30 feet, and both the target and the bard must be able to see and hear each other. Each use of this ability grants a +2 competence bonus to a single Skill check or Ability check. Certain uses of this ability may be moot (such as singing to make a rogue move stealthily), as determined by the DM. At 9th level, the bonus from this ability is +4. At 14th level, it becomes +6, and at 19th level, it becomes +8. This ability is a mind affecting ability. **''Lullaby (Su):'' A bard with 8 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to put his enemies into a slumber. The use of this ability requires a Perform check and affects up to a number of hit dice equal to a Bard's level plus his Charisma modifier. This ability requires a standard action and can affect any creature within 30 feet who can hear the bard but is otherwise similar to the sleep spell (except for the number of HD affected). The save DC is equal the bard's Perform check. This ability is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. **''Cacophony (Su):'' A bard with 10 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to damage his enemies. The use of this ability requires a Perform check and affects all creatures within 30 feet of the bard who can hear him. All targets within range take 1d10 sonic damage/3 levels (2d10 at 6th, 3d10 at 9th, etc.) Any target can attempt a Fortitude save (DC equal to the bard's Perform check) to take half damage. **''Soothing Song (Sp):'' A bard with 11 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to soothe the wounds of his allies. This ability affects one target within 30 feet who can hear the bard and simulates a cure moderate wounds spell, except that bard cannot use it to damage undead. At 13th level, this ability also confers the effect of a resurgence spell. At 18th level, the affect also simulates a lesser restoration spell. **''Grace Notes (Su):'' A bard with 12 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to open up opportunities for his allies. This ability affects one ally within 30 feet who can hear the bard. The ally may immediately make one move action as a free action on the bard's turn. At 14th level, a bard may instead grant an ally a single melee attack at his highest base attack bonus as a free action on the bard's turn. No five-foot step may accompany this attack. At 19th level, a bard may instead grant an ally a single standard action to use as a free action on the bard's turn. This standard action may be used for anything except readying an attack or any other action that modifies the target's initiative. **''Dispelling Song (Sp):'' A bard with 13 or more ranks in Perform may use his music to dispel a magical effect. This ability has a range of 60 feet and requires line of effect. It otherwise simulates a dispel magic effect (caster level equal to the bard's level). At 15th level, this effect instead simulates greater dispel magic. At 20th level, it simulates break enchantment. **''Allegro Tempo (Sp): '' **''Inspire Greatness:'' **''Harpy's Song:'' **''Clutching Vibrations (Sp):'' **''Song of Freedom (Sp):'' **''Song of Discord:'' **''Inspire Heroics:'' *'Polyglot (Ex):' At 6th level, a bard has acquired enough pidgin language bits that he can speak and understand any language. This does not confer the ability to read or write such languages. However, when reading a script of an unknown language, a bard may subsitute his Bardic Knowledge check for his Logic check and is considered trained in the skill. *'Jack of all Trades (Ex):' At 11th level, a bard is so multi talented that he is considered to be trained in all skills whether he has ranks in it or not. In addition, he gains a class bonus equal to half his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) to all skills in which he does not have ranks. Lastly, all skills are now considered class skills for the bard (but not other classes). *'Improviser (Ex):' At 16th level, a bard can improvise melodies over existing songs, allowing him to utilize two bardic music abilities simultaneously. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Intelligence modifier. Use of this ability requires a full-round action, and the bard can choose to of his abilities to take effect as part of it. He cannot use the same ability twice as part of this action. Using this ability counts as two uses of bardic music for the day. *'Virtuoso (Ex):' At 20th level, a bard becomes the paragon musician and master virtuoso. Category:Classes